A/N
About the prophecy: At this moment (middle of year 4) – if I remember correctly – only 3 persons knew about the prophecy: Dumbledore, Snape and Voldemort. I don't expect other Order members or Death Eaters to know more (perhaps a few know about the existence but not the content). I'm not sure how much Dumbledore would have said to the Potters when asked "Why do we have to hide?" and as result how much Sirius and Remus know. According to the books I assume they know nothing about it.
About the Horcrux: Principally the same is true. Dumbledore should know about it/them after the second year/diary incident, but nobody else. However… see this chapter.
About Animagus: With that low number of known Animagi (7 registered from thousands of wizards) there has to be something special about that spell, not only the effort. The spell is simply too valuable not to learn it (think about the possibilities for an Auror or Death Eater). So in my story you need a talent to learn the spell (or belong to a family with a hereditary knack for the spell like the Pinegrews).
About Pictures: Hogwarts doesn't count in my opinion. Think about it: It's a whole thinking, magical castle. But specifically I meant the lack of pictures of the Potters, Sirius (after 5th year), perhaps some important teachers, Luna's mother etc. Either it's an error/oversight in the canon or there is some limiting factor. By the way: This limit (and its workaround) is a plot factor in my story.
.
Good and bad news
.
The Burrow – 28th of December
.
Why, Molly mused, why did it have to be that blonde bombshell?
Angrily she devoted her full energy to the washing-up again. She needed this simple work to calm herself again. Charlie had sent a message this morning that he would stay until January the 2nd at Delacour Manor, with that Veela Beast.
Their shouts of joy and envy had earned the twins some extra labour in the wood shed, certainly no fun at this temperature. But it was deserved. At least Ron had understood her. Her youngest son had perhaps been even angrier than her. Arthur had left the house after their last quarrel for a few days to visit a cousin and so wasn't in the house. Not that Molly expected to share the same opinion with her husband about Charlie dating the wrong person. The quarrel had been about Ginny, naturally, their one and only issue for the past week. Ginny and how to turn the tables again, that had been the question.
A clink told Molly that her newest fit of temper had cost her a plate again. She would have to Reparo it later, Molly sighed. The Weasley Matriarch took a few deeps breaths. She had denied the idea, Molly groaned. Stupid girl didn't see that harsher methods were necessary now. They had to act fast and determined, not idle around. The fact that Ginny was unwilling to use a love potion, or at least a perfume of compulsion, to get Harry's attention back had been an unwelcome surprise.
It was Charlie's fault, Molly was sure. Not only did he cultivate this stupid idea to court a half-breed bastard – a French bastard to add, unable to speak a normal language. No, he even had the impertinence to disturb her plans for her little princess. Ginny Potter – that had a nice ring to it. And a marriage would allow the Weasleys to reclaim their old position at last, something Arthur – nice, sweet but far too weak-minded and without real ambition – would never succeed at.
For a while she had hoped for a career at the Ministry, but she had stopped dreaming about that for a long time now. Arthur simply didn't have the inner strength needed, allowed others to use him as a stepping stone in their own career.
No, it was her duty to lead the family back to fame and money, as she… as her family… deserved it. Then she could spit into the faces of all those Prewitts who had laughed at her when she had chosen Arthur. All those haughty Uncles, Aunts and Cousins would try to crawl back into her graces, her stupid family that had disowned her twenty-five years ago, laughed at her, the low position and weird hobbies of Arthur. Molly Weasley would have the last laugh.
She only had to speak with Dumbledore and make up some plan.
.
Pinegrew Manor - 28th of December
.
When Harry entered the breakfast room, only Roxanne and Anne were already present – as he had hoped for. The Grangers liked to sleep in a bit, and Hermione and Neville usually started the day with a cup of hot chocolate, reading a book side by side. Sometimes they read a book each, sometimes one read aloud to the other. It was a cozy sight, Harry had to admit, a sight he didn't want to disturb. And Daphne…
Daphne was the reason for him to be here at this early hour.
"She's still irresolute?" Roxanne asked and Harry nodded. They had undergone the Animagus test the day before and, as feared, there was a decision to be made.
.
The previous day
.
The whole 'family' had been waiting in the lab: Roxanne, Agatha, Anne, Remus and Sirius, together with Harry, Neville and Daphne. Only Hermione was still missing. Roxanne had sent Ciddy to fetch the girl – assuming correctly that some reading material was the reason for her absence – and now her fast steps announced her arrival. The opening door showed her grinning face and Hermione entered the room, waving her exemplar of the Daily Prophet.
"Incredible. It's incredible."
Agatha sighed. "Yes, my dear, certainly… whatever. But we wanted to…"
"Incredible. How did that happen?" Hermione was unstoppable in the moment, waving her newspaper and grinning like her face tried to split in two. "Sirius, that so…"
"Incredible?" Sirius tried to help. "Perhaps you should tell us what's so exciting. I never expected to see you so thrilled about reading something in a newspaper – and that newspaper to boot."
"Oh," Hermione shook her head and showed a second newspaper. "It has to be correct. The Quibbler has the same story."
Harry erupted into a fit of laughter. As Hermione stared at him flabbergasted, he tried to calm down again, but a single look at the Quibbler only restarted his fit of ravenous laughter again. "I never…" he struggled to find words "I never would have expected that you would use the Quibbler as a reason to trust a story." Another fit of laughter later he continued: "Do you really know what you just said? 'It has to be correct because it's in the Quibbler too'. That's… that's fantastic, Hermione."
Hermione glared at him, but as she noticed that the rest of the family was grinning too, she was unable to deny: "Perhaps… the Quibbler improved." She huffed. "Whatever, if you don't want to know about Sirius…"
"About me?" Sirius grabbed the Prophet and looked for the corresponding article. He didn't have to search very long as it was the lead article:
.
Cold blooded murderer or victim of the bureaucracy?
Order to give Sirius Black the Dementor's kiss on sight revoked
.
According to informed Ministry sources, the order to give Sirius Black – mass murderer and Azkaban escapee – the Dementor's kiss on sight has been revoked by nobody else than Amelia Bones, Head of the DMLE.
Amelia Bones: "The Ministry is still convinced that Mister Black is the main suspect in the betrayal of Family Potter and the following deaths of James and Lily Potter, Peter Pettigrew and twelve Muggles. But there have been too many pending questions, too many unsolved riddles about the whole case. It has never been examined in a convincing manner why he betrayed his best friends, or why he didn't run after the deed. We still want to capture him, but alive. The order to have him kissed on sight was overhasty and not according to the regulations of my department.
I assure you that we'll catch him, interrogate and pass sentence on him as the law demands: Fair, honest and beyond any doubt."
.
"He's still guilty," Harry sighed.
"Yes," Hermione smiled "but it is a first step."
"Amelia is taking a great risk to announce this," Agatha agreed. "She's going against the wishes of the Minister with this step. Not only will you survive an arrest now, Sirius, but you'll get a public trial, something they should have done twelve years ago."
"Why…" Harry hesitated. "Why did she…"
"Because of you," Roxanne explained calmly. "I'm certain she knew who that Grim had been on her visit. Augusta told you not to underestimate Amelia. If Sirius was really to blame for the deaths of your parents, you would be the first one to wish his death, more than anybody else. But if you're willing to trust him, if you're willing to fight for his freedom, then perhaps something is wrong about the whole accusation. Yes, I assume that your opinion convinced her… and perhaps the pure fact that there never has been a trial before." Roxanne smiled shortly. "Something that Agatha perhaps mentioned to her."
.
"Whatever," Anne knocked on the table. "We're here to determine something completely different. Take a seat." She gestured towards four comfortable armchairs and collected the four phials with the prepared potion. "This potion will put you into a deep sleep for about an hour. In this time you'll realize if you have the talent to master the Animagus spell. With a bit of luck you'll even learn what kind of form you could master. Every one of you will have one of us as his companion in this search. Agatha will be with you, Harry. Roxanne and Sirius have to accompany Hermione and Neville. And I'll follow you, Daphne. Drink now and relax."
.
He awoke… in a way. The sun was burning down on his naked body. Hastily Harry looked around but Agatha wasn't visible. There was only the faintest sense of someone watching him. Looking down he saw his normal body, perhaps a bit older and fully grown but unchanged. Shouldn't there be…
A rustling in the bushes behind him prompted Harry to whirl around. Something was watching him, something dangerous. Yellow eyes stared at him; the deep rumbling sound of heavy breathing could be heard. As the creature started to move, a primitive fear caused Harry to run. He didn't wait, he didn't look. Run, run away from the creature his heart told him.
Heavy feet crashed on the ground, the big creature slowly getting faster and closing the distance. The grassy ground turned to stone; a cliff became visible in front of him. Instead of stopping he only ran faster, hoping that there would be an escape route, a narrow trail or a lake below to jump in. Hot breath hit his back. Something snapped at him, barely missing him. Where was Agatha? With a last burst of energy Harry accelerated and jumped over the cliff. The stony ground was below him, nothing there to stop the fall. In sheer terror Harry started to yell, only to hear an unknown sound emanate his mouth. His arms started to move, futilely trying to stop the fall.
Suddenly his fall slowed down, turned into an upward movement. His sight changed, sharpening to an incredible precision, the slightest motion of his arms allowing him to change direction, he only started to understand when he got higher and higher, the ground now far more below him than on any previous broom ride. Wings… he had wings. A whoop of delight, resembling no sound that normally left a human mouth, resonated through the air.
A shadow, the large form of a Hippogriff at his side – for a moment the black feathers confused him but that dent on the beak was unmistakable: Buckbeak, his colours changed to hide his identity. Harry's friend seemed to enjoy watching him. For a while they flew side by side, relaxing in the sun, relishing the wind.
Suddenly another shadow swooped down, sending Buckbeak away in fear, missing Harry's wing only by a narrow margin as did the fiery breath seconds later. His fear returning even stronger now, Harry used all tricks from his Quidditch training to evade his enemy – a full grown Dragon. The magical creature ignored Buckbeak and didn't allow Harry to shake him off. The beast was simply too fast and, minute by minute, Harry was losing all hope to evade any longer. A split second too slow, a hit to close and pain erupted from his left wing, sending Harry tumbling down. Unable to stop his second fall Harry watched the ground closing in, hoping that somehow something would change again. His body wanted to change, he felt it. But it was too late. A second before crashing into the ground some invisible hand snatched him, pulled him aside with much force, enough force to save him but too fast to stay conscious.
Saved at least, Harry pondered, before all went black around him.
.
"At least you have an Animagus form, Daphne" Harry heard a female voice through the cotton wool that was wrapped around his head.
"Hermione," a boy answered. "I understand that you're disappointed that there is a spell you can't master."
"It's not simply a spell," Hermione pouted. "It's the Animagus spell, something important. Something…"
"Something your shining example Minerva is able to do but not you."
"Yes, exactly," Hermione whined. "I know, I know. I should have expected it. In a way I did, but still…"
"Don't you think it is even more disturbing for Daphne?" Neville asked with a soft voice. "To know that she could master that spell but perhaps has to deny the possibility?"
"Four of my female family members are able to change their form," Daphne agreed with a troubled voice. "Should I ever have a daughter – something very possible with female children being prominent in my family – I can expect her to learn Animagus too." Daphne sighed: "I really have to…" She hesitated for a moment: "Harry? Are you awake?"
Slowly he opened his eyes. He was resting in his bed, his friends sitting around him, Agatha only a few steps away. Now she came at his side, looking down a bit troubled: "Hi Harry. I'm sorry. I should have stepped in earlier. But I still hoped that you would change again."
"Something… I felt something seconds before you extracted me," Harry admitted. "What does it mean? Why was there a dragon chasing me?"
"Normally a wizard or witch has only one form to change into. The form is not negotiable and decided by your nature. This is the case with Daphne and Neville as it had been with Anne, Roxanne and me. And in a way it is the same for you: You could learn the spell and now you know that your form would be some kind of predator bird. But apparently somewhere hidden in your heart is a second form. The dragon appeared because he hates this other side of you. Think about your first task: How easily had it been able to enrage the dragon and goad her away? She really hated you; perhaps she sensed that other side of you too."
"But you can only learn one form with the Animagus spell," Hermione countered.
"You're correct, Hermione," Agatha agreed. "However Harry has the rare opportunity to decide. Do you want to master your bird aspect? It should be relative easy for you. Or do you wish to take the chance to learn something special? It would be far more difficult and it is by no means certain that you'll be successful with it."
"And if he doesn't succeed," Daphne asked. "Could he still learn the bird aspect?"
"I don't know," Agatha responded. "I really don't know. It is very unusual to have something like that. I'll have to do some research to answer the question."
.
Present (Pinegrew Manor - 28th of December)
.
"Perhaps," Harry slowly started "perhaps you shouldn't press her. I think she likes healing, likes the idea of spending her time as a healer in the future. But you're forcing her too much. Daphne is feeling obliged to choose that carrier and she doesn't like that feeling."
"I understand what you mean," Anne responded. "And if it was something like her gift for languages I'd follow your advice."
Harry knew what Anne was speaking about. With her sense for the subtleties and her studious and diligent nature it had come easy to Daphne to learn new languages. Which other fourteen year old girl was able to have a conversation in fluent Spanish and to read a complicated book in Ancient Greek?
"But this is not something she can decide later. She has to decide it now, before it is too late, before she has chosen a path that could destroy a unique possibility."
"Daphne," Roxanne continued "inherited a talent my Grandmother already had. Perhaps I should explain what we're speaking about. You certainly know the usual healing spells. Madam Pomfrey is a very experienced Healer and certainly able to attend a broad range of injuries, diseases and curses. But even her talent has limits. Most healers are unable to transfer their gift onto curing unusual patients, may they be Veela, Werewolves, Vampires or even more exotic ones like magical creatures. Those persons and creatures are resistant to many spells or react in a different way, making their treatment exceptional difficult and dangerous. Should Miss Delacour be seriously injured in the tournament, it would be possible that Madam Pomfrey deteriorates the situation instead of healing her."
"And that's the very special talent of Daphne," Anne explained: "Or at least one of it. She could learn to treat those patients because she's able to 'feel' the magic specifications in a way most other Healers never could. Think back: Balou has been wounded. A normal healer would have killed him with his healing spells; his badly injured body would have been unable to survive the needed amount of magic. But Daphne was able to tone down to exactly the correct amount of magical energy and direct it to the exactly right places in his body. It's not a unique talent but at least a rare one, a talent that is regretfully contrary to some other, more primal spells.
A spell like the Animagus activates your animalistic side, the side that's responsible for your instincts and fast reaction. This side is very strong in you, Harry, which is why Animagus should come easily to you. But to unearth this side, Daphne would lose her other talent. It's a choice I had to make myself fifteen years ago. I decided against the healing and instead learned how to use my animalistic side. I thought back then that I needed primal spells more. I wanted to be a hero but lost so much. I regret the decision very often since then and hoped to spare Daphne this experience."
The following silence was broken by Daphne's voice, who had silently entered the room, unnoticed, a while before. "You should have told me."
Anne smiled weakly and nodded: "I should have, you're right. We don't want to force you, Daphne. We only hope that…"
"I understand you. At least I understand you now a lot better." Slowly she walked to the table and hugged Roxanne and Anne before taking a seat at Harry's side. He gently pressed her hand and got a kiss to his cheek in return. "Thank you for asking them."
.
"We didn't tell them about Daphne's other talent."
Roxanne and Anne had left the room, leaving Harry and Daphne with the newly arrived Grangers – parents and daughter – to have a calm breakfast before they left to collect the new wands.
"No, we didn't" Roxanne agreed. "It is better this way. I don't want to force her even more in that direction."
"I understand, but… it is really, really unique. Even in the Congregation we only have less than a handful witches with her talent and according to Spiritualist Nowles she could be exceptional in a few years, a decade at most. We can't allow her to…"
Anne felt herself seized by the collar and forced against the wall. "It is her decision, hers alone. Do you get my meaning? Yes, I would like… no, that's not strong enough… I would love to see her choosing that path, but I'm not Daphne, I'm only her mother. To be a Spiritualist is a difficult path, you know that. To heal a broken mind is never without influence on the healer. We won't force her in any way."
Roxanne accentuated every word of her last sentence and Anne nodded slowly. "Okay, I understand. But shouldn't we at least tell her…"
"… Tell her that she could heal Neville's parents in a few years?" Both missed the gasp coming from the niche where a shadow was hiding since a few minutes. "With that amount of pressure… yes, this information would be a kind of emotional pressure… do you really assume that there could be any other decision for her? You've seen how close she is to her friends. You know how much his parents mean to Neville. Telling her about this would leave her with only a single choice: Become a Spiritualist too, a mind healer."
Anne sighed deeply. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'll stay silent about that."
.
Knockturn Alley – late forenoon
.
She really liked the time she had been able to spend with her parents, Hermione mused. The hour she had spent reading from the letter Luna had written from Island about her and her father's hunt for some mystical creature – who else would be willing to make such a trip in December? – Or even the evening they had 'that' conversation. Her father had left the issue to his wife – no surprise there. To Hermione's relief, her mother had been relaxed about the matter.
Not that there was a matter to be solved in the near future. Like her mother before Hermione, had no intention to 'take their relationship to the next level' yet. She was only fifteen now, Neville fourteen. They would wait at least another two years before anything more than a snogging session would happen, but certainly it was the parents' duty to speak about it early enough. What troubled her much more was the conversation Neville had with her father. He had told him about traditions in a Wizarding family, about promise rings, engagement rings, marriage contracts and all those other things.
How far was she willing to go? Even a promise ring was a huge step to her. It was far more than a simple boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. Neville had promised her that they would take every step together, that he wouldn't drop in with a ring on Valentine day. There wouldn't be a surprise engagement party on his fifteenth birthday. They would progress slowly and with consideration.
.
Madam Guila – Wands since 1712
.
Neville had been awfully quiet the whole morning. To watch him now talking with Madam Guila about the best focus stone for his wand was a change for the better. He appeared happy now, fully concentrated on the matter as he was only around plants. Hermione smiled. She had chosen a veiled opal, a rare but – because seldom used in jewelry – not overly expensive stone. Madam Guila claimed that it would help her to cast stronger, longer enduring Charms. Quite the right choice, Hermione hoped, because of her fondness for feather-light charms and similar spells.
"You should use amber, Mister Longbottom. There are other stones more able to simply strengthen the growth of a plant, but you are certainly more interested in controlled growth, to shape the plant and push the evolvement into the right direction for use as a potion ingredient or something similar."
Neville agreed to her opinion, so this left only two wands to go, or more accurately two pairs, as everyone had chosen to buy the 'lesser twin wand' too. With two holsters – one for the wrist, the other for the calf, both charmed to resist disarming spells – they would be well-equipped for every opportunity.
"I need pure quartz," Daphne stated, looking up from the stone book she had been perusing for the last ten minutes.
"Pure Quartz," Madam Guila asked "better perception?"
Roxanne's expression was a mix of joy and unease as she heard her daughter's choice, a choice that was the right one should she follow the career of a Healer.
With a neutral face Daphne glanced at her mother and curtly nodded. "The book says that it help to get clearer results from examination spells."
"That's correct. It's not a very widely used stone. Most prefer something to get a more tangible effect."
"It's the right one for me."
While Madam Guila attached the stone to Daphne's wand, Roxanne used the moment to ask Harry: "Have you already made a choice… about which wand you want to use in the future?"
"I have. The old wand… Madam Guila said it has more raw power. But it is the twin of 'His' wand, too. I'll keep it; perhaps I'll have some use for it at a later time. But for now I'll try the new one. Most of the time it's simply more important to be correct and precise in the casting."
"I agree. And which kind of stone do you want? Madam Guila told me that the ruby is especially strong in supporting attacks. Perhaps it would be the right choice because you'll lose that extra bit of power from your old wand."
Harry smiled at his godmother, but shook his head. "A few months ago I would have agreed. I always assumed that action was better than waiting, attack better than defence. But now… I have something to protect, a family… friends." He glanced towards Daphne and a soft smile appeared on his face. "I want something to strengthen Protego spells, a raw diamond."
An immense wave of happiness crashed through Roxanne's body. That Harry had started to learn to control his temper, to see reason about 'think first, act later' and his clear opinion that his new family – and certainly his girlfriend, her daughter – was something worth to be defended, was reason enough for her broadest smile. "Thank you, Harry, for the choice and the thought."
.
Pinegrew Manor – Evening
.
"And now," Daphne asked. "Whatever shall we do?" The mood was very downtrodden after their return from Gringotts. Everyone slumped into a chair or onto a bench, unable to hide their disappointment.
Harry shrugged, far calmer than an hour ago. The message that Griphook wasn't able to explain his former way of working had been disturbing, especially in light of this serious development. At Gringotts, where they had gone hoping for more background information, Wyvernclaw could only disappoint them.
"We examined the documents and now are able to offer you a list of transactions that can be reversed, those that can be pursued with a reasonable chance to get your money back and – regretfully – a large number of deals you should, in my humble opinion, simply write off. We have enough material to prosecute Mister Fletcher for embezzlement, if you wish. The chances are very good to get a conviction, but he doesn't have the money to pay for his debts. It is your decision whether you want to charge him for punishment nonetheless.
"But to our dismay, an interrogation of Accountant Griphook showed that he was unable to reveal his cooperation with other persons, especially Headmaster Dumbledore as we had hoped. Since your last visit someone obviously used the opportunity to alter his memory. There are no memories left that would prove cooperation between him and the Headmaster, nothing irregular enough to charge the Headmaster for embezzlement."
"Dumbledore is unable to get more money from my family's vaults. He has no control about the Lily Evans Trust, and Potter Manor is protected against visits from him or any other Order member. That's the most important part," Harry stated calmly, only his eyes betraying his fury – not because of the former betrayal, but because the Headmaster obviously not even shied away from altering the memory of a Gringotts accountant. "He'll be a 'persona non grata' at Gringotts in the future. Even without enough proof against him to act officially, he'll certainly notice a decline in the Goblins eagerness to make business with him. And in a way this development is even helpful."
"Helpful," Hermione groaned "how can it be helpful."
The news had hit her especially hard. Even after the last week she had still hoped that there would be an explanation for all of this, had still hoped that the reverence she had felt for the Headmaster in the past hadn't been totally misguided. But Roxanne had been right about being more careful, less trusting towards respectabilities.
"I've left Harry alone, Hermione. I've left him with his Aunt because I trusted Dumbledore's judgment more than my own gut feeling. I allowed him to put Harry's parents in that hidden house, because he told me that they would be safe. I should have followed my own mind, trusted my own feelings. I regret my decisions every day, and I'm thankful that at least regarding Harry I'm able to smooth out my former errors. I'll be more careful in the future and you should be too."
"Now we know," Daphne responded in Harry's stead "that we have to be especially careful around the Headmaster. We'll intensify our Occlumency training and we'll never allow one of us to be alone with him. Something like this won't happen to one of us."
.
"Do you have an idea where to begin with your research?"
The teenagers had left for their rooms and only Roxanne, Agatha and Anne remained behind. Anne sighed: "I'll ask some curse-breakers I know – Spanish and French ones, not English. I don't know which ones I could trust to stay silent about the matter. Certainly a few of the better Curse-breakers here owe allegiance to Dumbledore or the Ministry."
"And you have no idea what it could be?" Roxanne whispered. She had been able to repress the troubling information for a while, but the puzzle had to be solved somehow.
"Regretfully not really," Anne responded. "It is a mix of a mind spell, a curse and a fragment of dark magic – the whole mix seated in his head behind that scar. It's reasonable to assume that it is a result of the killing curse used against him, but as nobody ever surviving that spell beside him, we have nothing to compare it to."
"Shouldn't someone have detected it before? Madam Pomfrey perhaps – Harry had certainly been in her care often enough."
Anne shook her head. "I don't think so. You would have to use something like we did, search for mind spells or curses. And even if… don't forget how she admitted that she overlooked the signs of abuse on Dumbledore's command. Perhaps she detected it but only told the Headmaster."
"I would be surprised if he has no idea about it. I assume he has known for a very long time. But that's not helpful. Let's hope that you'll return with more knowledge about this phenomenon."
.
A/N
Yes, the Pinegrew ladies know – since the examination a few days ago – about the existence of 'something' in Harry's head. They still don't know that it's a Horcrux.